I must be INSANE to go through Insanity! This workout is great and I want you to join me as I go through my most difficult challenge to date! Track my progress with me via my posts and progress pics and feel free to provide your input as well! Remember to always DIG DEEP!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Workout Buddies Don't need to Be Present!!!

There is this constant that I hear from everyone: it would be great to have a workout buddy! For a long time, I fell into the category of needing a workout partner. As a matter of fact, I still do! I think it is great to have someone there, giving you the motivation to get that extra rep done during a given exercise. Not only do you find it in you to get that last rep in there, but you suddenly feel like you can go another 2 hours in the gym after accomplishing the feat.

There is just something about the feel of going to the gym by yourself that leaves you less motivated and unwilling to give it your all. There were so many times where I would go to the gym, and not even know what to do. In those situations I would get on a random machine, do some reps, and just walk around for a period until I felt like there was something else I could do. My motivation would be at an extreme low; after a while I would just leave the gym feeling like it was a waste of time and gas.

I feel like I am being somewhat hypocritical right now. The reason: I didn't have a workout partner present when I did my Insanity routine. Not one time did I have someone working out beside me: unless you consider my two year old daughter a workout partner! There were plenty of times throughout the routine when I would wonder how it is that I am getting through this without anyone there. That is when it dawned on me: I DID HAVE WORKOUT PARTNERS. The only thing is that they were not there with me.

Technology has made life easy; in some ways, it can be considered a gift and a curse. In this case, however, it was definitely a gift. About two weeks into Insanity, I found out that my best friend in Boston was working out as well. Being the competitive one, I knew I had to finish this routine: especially knowing that he was on a quest for weight loss as well. I also found out that one of my younger brothers - who happens to be stationed out in Alaska - is also on a fitness trip. He is in it for muscle building/weight gaining purposes. While our goals differ, they are fitness related nevertheless.

While the motivation was not in front of me, I still received it from people who were also in pursuit of a healthier lifestyle. They may have been thousands of miles away from me, but their progress has proven addictive as it only helped to increase my desire to improve as well. The conclusion: workout buddies do not have to be present in order to provide you with the additional push. I am in Texas, and I was able to go the extra mile through motivation from people in Massachusetts and Alaska.

To put this on full display, I have decided to have my brother participate in this blog with me. Folks, he is no longer in Alaska. He will be reporting from the other side of the world: in the Middle East. That being said, he has not lost track of his goals. He plans to gain between 10 and 15 lbs in the next 6 months while he is deployed and serving his country. Just to give people an idea of the challenges he is facing: my brother has a very active metabolism that will be working against him. Additionally, he is going to have to contend with the summer months; that means he will be experiencing temperatures between 125 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit. If you take those two factors into consideration, gaining 10 to 15 pounds is no small feat.

So, I am challenging him in a few ways. I want him to keep accountability on this blog just as I have. Our goals kind of work out evenly because I have about 15 pounds to LOSE to get to my goal weight while he has the same amount of weight to GAIN to reach his goal weight. Secondly, I am going to have him include pictures of his own to track each other's progress over the next 6 months. This should be pretty interesting.

His method of training will involve more heavy lifting, while mine will be a little more cardio based. There will be lifting involved through the P90X training, but not to build mass. As previously stated, I will probably substitute some P90X workouts with Insanity workouts. This will most likely happen if I notice more building taking place as opposed to breaking down. If anyone wants to join us in this challenge, by all means let me know and I will be sure to help you in tracking your progress as well.

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About Me

I am a 20-something man approaching 30 and wondering why America is in such a state of disarray. It is easy to point fingers, but it all starts with you, me and 300 million other Americans. While my words may be strictly opinionated, I think they resonate with many people in society today.
Additionally, I am a huge advocate for fitness. I completed the Insanity routine and now am preparing to take on the P90X routine. My brother is also partaking in the workout madness as he is trying to put on some weight in muscle. Go ahead and keep up with my blogs to find out more!